Feels Like Home AKA Baby in the Baby Carriage
by MilkMamaReturns
Summary: Will maternal love shine through even the darkest of days? Angsty and sweet, this is one of my most loved stories. I hope you enjoy it. Rated K for certain descriptions, but sex-free in nature.


Dr. Brennan's face was flushed as she leaned over skeletal remains. The body was that of a 1,200 year old Mayan who had been sacrificed as a virgin at just twelve years old. The body was small and wrapped in garments that were once beautiful, but now fell off the skeleton in shreds.

"The girl's clothing was made of animal skin. Perhaps a llama or other easily bred and domesticated animal, such as the sheep." Temperance raised a bony wrist with her forefinger. "The jewelry on her was ornate: gold, rubies, and sapphires suggest she was sacrificed to the sun deity _Ah Kin_." Temperance paused. Her cheeks grew red. Clutching her stomach, she bent over in pain. The pain passed and she stood up easily and quickly. Continuing she said, "The rope that bound her wrists was made up of a now extinct plant called the_ Ka'uka juro_."

"Are you ok, sweetie?" Angela asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be ok? I'm here, right?" Brennan's voice was short and snappy.

"Because you don't look ok."

"Don't be silly." Temperance shot back.

"Bren, sweetie, now you're being ridiculous. You're obviously not feeling well. Go home. Take a bath. Get some rest."

"It's just gas, Ange. Seriously. I had a gyro for lunch. It obviously didn't agree with--" Temperance bent over, clutching her stomach. Angela looked on in horror, with worry for her friend.

"Brennan!" Temperance responded and looked up. "I'm no expert, sweetie, but you need to go home."

Brennan rolled her eyes. "This girl, Ange. She was just twelve years old when she was murdered for some fake deity... adorned in jewels, then thrown in a ravine in the name of virginity and... SUNSHINE. I'm going home when I'm done with this case."

Angela rounded the table and blocked Brennan's sight. Temperance tried to look around her several times, but giving up, she looked at Angela. "I'm staying here. It shouldn't take more than a few more hours to finish my notes."

"What are you doing now?" Angela asked.

"It hurts less this way." Brennan was now squatting on the ground.

Angela pulled Temperance from the platform and into her office.

"What are you doing now?" Temperance complained, her voice sharp.

"I'm calling Booth. At least he'll be able to talk some sense into you!" Angela picked up the phone and dialed quickly. She looked up to see her friend now bending over the chair in the office.

Angela paused, "Wait... I get it!"

"Booth. Is that you Angela? Wait, wait, slow down." Booth picked up his phone. He was driving to the Jeffersonian as he spoke.

Angela, on the other line, responded, "Your wife is as stubborn as a mule!"

Booth laughed and shrugged, "Tell me about it. It's like being married to the--."

"Ok, ok." Angela cut him off.

Booth began mumbling... "First she wanted a huge wedding... I'm still in debt... then she wanted to keep her last name. Whatever. I don't care about that as long as we're married. Then she didn't want kids..."

By now Dr. Brennan was laying on the ground with her feet resting on a chair.

Angela covered the receiver with one hand. "Are you ready to admit it now, sweetie?"

"Admit... what... Angela?"

"Sweetie, you're in labor!" Angela uncovered the receiver. "Listen, Buster. If you've got a siren, turn it on. Brennan's in labor."

"AM... NOT!" Booth could hear in the background.

Booth ran into Dr. Brennan's office. He immediately spotted his wife. Brennan stood, her belly large and round... her feet barefoot. Her feet were too swollen for her usual stiletto boots. Her head was down and her hands were resting on the desk. She swayed gently and breathed slowly. Her eyes were closed and every so often she would moan: "Oooooh... Ooooh... Ooooh" as if she were singing.

Booth wrapped his arm around his wife's waist. Temperance looked up and smiled, her face flushed. She wrapped her arm around neck.

"Honey... I think we should go to the hospital," he spoke gently.

Brennan spoke heavily, "Women have been giving birth for thousands of years. I recognize..." she paused. "I recognize the expertise of the medical community..." she paused again. "but I..." she fell to her knees.

"Should I call 911?" Angela asked. She hovered anxiously as she watched her two best friends.

"NO!" --Brennan.  
"YES" --Booth.

They both spoke at once. Booth slid his arm beneath Brennan's legs and lifted her into his arms: his wife and child in one loving scoop.

"It's time, honey. It's time, Tempe." Booth smiled lovingly into Brennan's deep blue eyes. He kissed her lips gently as they shared a moment... the moment before Seeley and Temperance welcomed their first child together into the world.

Booth drove through traffic, weaving in and out. Temperance was in the back seat. One leg was behind Booth's head, the other was tucked behind the headrest on the back seat.

It wasn't long before he hit D.C. traffic. Cars piled on top of cars for miles. Booth threw open the door and stood up. He surveyed the rows upon rows of traffic. The horizon was gray as far as the eye could see. Gray with cars and traffic.

In the back seat, Temperance was starting to feel immense pain and pressure. Sweat beaded on her forehead and dripped into her eyes. Her eyelashes bunched together with moisture making it hard to see. Her vision was foggy anyway. She felt dizzy and hot. Her head pounded in the heat of that July evening. Her abdomen felt as if it was going to explode. No position could relieve the pressure on her back. She just lay in fetal position in the backseat, quiet, trying not to scream at the horrific pain.

Booth jumped back into the vehicle. He quickly looked over the back seat to find his wife quiet and limp. Blood was pooling quickly in the indentation of the seat. Booth felt as if his heart had stopped. His wife... his love. His true love. Fear made his heart jump into his throat. His heart ached in that moment. Love made tears well up in his eyes. It was only a moment. Just a moment. Then he was in the back seat. Next to his wife. Next to Temperance.

Booth turned Temperance onto her back. Looking below, he could see a little head. Dark and bloody, but definitely the crown of the baby's head. Temperance, by this time was cold and limp. Her face was ashen white, her lips a deep grayish purple.

At that second, holding his son's precious little head, kneeling in pools of blood, looking into his wife's face... perhaps the last time he would look into that face while there was a soul behind it... he remembered the moment that they found out they were going to be parents...

Temperance stood in her bathroom. A box of Is-It-So Pregnancy Tests sat on the counter in front of her. She paced quickly in front of the box. Her heart pounded in her ears. She felt more nauseous than ever. She had never wanted to be a mother. Never. She didn't know what it meant to be a mother. How could she be a mother? It simply wasn't possible. If God did exist. This God that her husband so believed in. This God that Seeley spoke of often and put his every trust in. If he existed, then she would not be a mother. It was simple as that. She could not be a mother. She was not made to be a mother. Under that reasoning, Temperance picked up the box and tore it open. She pulled out a tiny test.

Sitting on the toilet, Temperance read and reread the instructions. She read it until she could recite it. "Remove packaging..." she instructed herself. "urinate on stick for three to five seconds or urinate into included cup."

Shaking, Brennan pulled out the tiny cup. This seemed somewhat more human than urinating on a little stick... perhaps urinating on her own hand.

"Wait 30 seconds..." Temperance told herself.

It did NOT take thirty seconds. It took three.

Temperance's face turned rosy red. Her heart pounded in her ears. For the first time in her life, she was weak. She sat down limply on the bathroom floor. She pulled her knees to her ears.

Booth came in the front door and heard soft crying from the other side of the house. He followed the sounds until he came to the bathroom where his wife was crying.

He knocked softly... "Tempe? Temperance? What's wrong?"

The bathroom grew quiet. Booth opened the bathroom door and peeked inside. He saw his wife on the floor. She smiled unsurely at him. She laughed softly with tears in her eyes and held up the little test.

"What's... uh... what's that?" He knew what it was. He reached out for it and read what the small print said. "PREGNANT" it read. He sat down beside his wife and there they cried and laughed together.

No moment was sweeter in his memory. No moment was more perfect.

Seeley Booth blinked. He blinked himself back into reality. The reality of his dying wife and son.

Booth searched for his cell phone. It seemed to slip from his grasp every time he fished for it. Finally he was able to dial 911.

"Hello," tears streamed from Seeley's brown eyes. He told the operator where he was and that he needed help.

"Sir," the operator tried to speak calmly. "Do you happen to have a plastic bag to wrap over your hands? Rubber gloves?"

Booth reached for a pair of his wife's gloves. He dug in the pocket of her lab coat and retrieved two blue gloves which he put on, shaking all of the time.

"You'll need to delivery the baby the rest of the way, sir."

"I... I can't. My wife is unconscious. I don't understand--"

The operator with the calm sweet voice replied, "What I need you to do is to watch your wife's abdomen for contractions." Booth nodded. He wiped sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "Now, I need you to place your hands gently on either side of the baby's head. Place your thumbs on top of his head and your middle and index fingers on each side of his ears." Booth followed mindlessly. It was as if his body was working even though he didn't have the mental strength to. "Now, on each contraction, I want you to pull down on the baby's head GENTLY."

Booth could see his wife's belly tightening and relaxing every minute and a half. Her stomach tightened and Booth pulled gently, careful not to hurt his little son.

On that final contraction, a little boy slipped into the world. His hair was dark and his body was moist with blood and mucous. His body was cheesy with Vernix. Booth let the cell phone fall to the floor.

"Sir? Sir?" he could hear. But only just barely.

Booth held up the little boy in his arms. There was a moment... a moment of such incredible love. He remembered the time he first held Parker, but Parker was born in a hospital and he was clothed in blankets and hats that first time. The little boy he held in his hands was still naked and attached to his mother by a rope of umbilical cord.

"Wow..." he whispered and more tears streamed down his face. The little boy was still very quiet, so Booth rubbed his back trying to stimulate him.

A cry broke free into the SUV. The little boy stretched his arms and screamed. Booth smiled. He had never seen something so beautiful in his life. Of course his wife was beautiful, but this was different... This was different... This little boy was a culmination of he and Temperance. He was the proof that true love existed in this world. He was... he was what happened when two people who loved each other very much combined. The theory once was, he thought, that two people became one when they made love. That was true and still is. But this was very different. This is the moment when three people became one.

Booth took off his jacket and wrapped his little son inside of it.

"Sir?"

Booth picked up the cell phone. "My son is here..." he whispered. He could hardly speak.

Booth heard sirens from the distance. An ambulance stopped beside the black SUV. Three paramedics jumped out and ran up the open door.

Booth turned around to face them. "My... my wife--"

"We'll take care of her, sir. You need to stand back." Booth took several steps back. He suddenly felt like an outsider. The paramedics loaded Temperance, still ashen gray and lifeless, along with his newborn son onto the gurney. He paced anxiously, trying to catch glimpses of Temperance.

One paramedic cut the baby's cord, wrapped him in a large silver blanket to keep him warm, then hopped into the ambulance. A second paramedic, a woman who had her red hair pulled back in a tight bun, knelt over the top of Booth's wife. With either knee on each side of her, she did chest compressions. The last paramedic had an oxygen back covering her mouth and pumped oxygen into Temperance's lungs.

"One, Two, Three, Four..." The woman chanted. The second paramedic would reply with by squeezing the bag. Then the team would start again. "One, Two, Three, Four..."

Booth ran to the driver's side of the ambulance. The driver rolled down the window. "My wife and son are in the back. I want to come with you!"

"Hospital policy prevents us from--"

Booth started to feel frantic. He needed to be with his wife and child. "Just let me go with you!"

"Sir, I--"

"TAKE ME WITH YOU!"

The driver rolled up his window hurriedly. The doors of the ambulance closed. The wheels began to roll, then weaved carefully through traffic and sped off into the distance.

Booth stood in the middle of the freeway. His white shirt was bloody and sweaty. He felt so alone. How could anyone who just welcomed a son into the world feel so alone?

Booth fell to the ground, traffic waited impatiently, then circled around him. With his forehead to the ground and his elbows resting on the pavement, he cried out to God. He asked for a miracle. He begged for his wife's life.

Seeley Booth ran through the hospital. His shirt was covered in brownish dried blood. He stopped a nurse walking through the halls and made her tell him where the front desk was.

Out of breath, he found the main desk. "Where do I find Temperance Brennan?"

The woman calmly clicked away on her keyboard, then looked up, "Room Two-Oh-Three."

"Ok!" Both whirled around and saw Cam, Angela, and Hodgins running through the waiting room.

"We came as soon as we heard," Cam said. "Are you ok, Seeley?"

"How's Brennan? How's the baby?" Angela asked.

Booth's face was still with worry. "I-- I don't know. I've got to go."

Booth pushed past his friends and started running through the hallway. His feet were light. He flew to Room 203 in the Intensive Care Unit.

He stood outside the locked door. He could catch glimpses of doctors in the room rushing around, talking to one another, inserting IVs... but he could not catch one glimpse of his wife's face.

Seeley was in the waiting room. Several hours had passed without one word on how Temperance was doing. Angela's head was resting on Cam's shoulder as they both slept. It was well past one in the morning. Hodgins had gone to find coffee.

A nurse, holding a precious little bundle walked slowly through the waiting room. She made eye contact with Seeley as she walked. Booth knew that she held his son. He sat up a little straighter, then stood.

Angela, who was sitting next to Booth, felt his movement and opened her eyes. She shifted in her seat, waking Camille. They both watched as the nurse handed Booth his son.

"Oh my God..." Angela breathed. "He's beautiful!"

The women stood around Booth and stared into the beautiful newborn's face. His bright blue eyes opened and stared up into his father's eyes. It was the sweetest moment in that whole day. His little hand wrapped around Seeley's finger.

"He's perfect!" Cam sighed. "Just perfect!"

"He has Bren's eyes!" Angela sighed. "There's no way those baby blues are turning brown!"

Booth beamed as he held the little bundle.

"Six pounds twelve ounces," the nurse reported softly. "Twenty inches long."

"He's so tiiiiiiiiny!" Cam said. She reached out and held his little hand. "Isn't he beautiful?"

"What's his name?" Angela asked.

"His name is Sammy." Booth smiled. "Samuel Maxwell."

"Maxwell after Brennan's dad?" Cam asked. Booth nodded.

"And Sam after yours?" Angela asked.

"And after Sammy Davis Jr." Booth laughed. It was the first time he had laughed all day, it seemed. "Just don't tell Tempe." His smile quickly disappeared. He looked up at the nurse, who still stood silently. "How's my wife?"

"She's stable. You can see her if you like."

Booth nodded, "Yes, I'd like that very much." Booth followed the nurse through the corridor with little Sammy in his arms. They finally came to a stop in front of room 203. The nurse opened the door and led Booth to a quiet room. A little light over the bed was the only thing that illuminated the room. Oxygen pumped quietly every few seconds.

Booth felt weak. His eyes were too dry for tears. He had cried so much all day long, but his chin quivered uncontrollably. It hurt so much to see his wife hooked up to monitors and wires.

"I know this looks bad," the nurse began. "but she's doing better now. She lost a lot of blood. More than two thirds of her blood volume. We did two transfusions. We had to take her into emergency surgery to repair her uterus." Tears began to drip down his face and onto the blanket that wrapped up his little boy. "Against all odds she's still here, Mr. Booth. Her oxygen levels were low, so that's why she's on oxygen."

"Is she..." Booth was able to speak, but just barely. "Is she... ok? I mean, will she make it?"

"Uh... she, she should make it. Her brain, however..." The nurse's face was very somber. "She suffered oxygen depletion... she was without oxygen for between ten and twenty minutes. We won't know what damage has been done until she opens her eyes."

"When will that be?" Booth's arms were like jelly. He was afraid he would drop little Sam, so he took a seat.

"I don't know. It could be today... it could be months from now." The nurse watched on sympathetically. "I'm very sorry, sir." The nurse walked toward the door and closed it behind her, leaving Booth with little Sam in his arms and his wife on the hospital bed in front of him.

Morning came to the room at Maryland State University Hospital. Sunlight glittered through the windows and woke up Seeley Booth. His head was resting on the edge of the hospital bed with his hand intertwined with Temperance's hand.

Angela, Cam, and Hodgins sat in the room. Angela was awake and had a bottle to little Sammy's mouth. Cam was sleeping on a little pullout sofa bed. Hodgins was also sleeping on the sofa bed, but with his head at Camille's feet.

Booth opened his eyes. He looked gaunt and at least five years older than forty eight hours before. His eyes were sunken and bloodshot. He watched as Temperance's chest rose and fell rhythmically with the oxygen machines.

Angela looked up and saw that Booth was awake. She stood up and walked over to Seeley. "Hanging in there?" she asked softly.

"Depends on how you define hanging in there." Booth replied. A deep frown was on his lips. "What if she..." he could hardly get the words out, "what if she doesn't make it?"

Angela was quiet at first, trying to decide how to reply, "First of all, you shouldn't speak that way. You've got to be strong for little Sammy. Second of all..." Angela took a seat beside Booth so that her eyes were close to his. "Second of all, she's going to make it."

Booth looked back at Temperance. Her cheeks were now pink, but very pale. "What if you're wrong? I don't think I could make it..." Booth's shoulders, once so strong and protective, now shook as he cried into his sleeve. He still had not changed his shirt. He still wore the bloodied shirt he wore the night before... He was afraid to take it off. As if that would jinx it.

Angela put her hand on Booth's shoulder. "When has Bren ever given up?"

Booth laughed a short little laugh. He remembered when they first started working together. She fought for her life against a dirty FBI agent who he trusted. He remembered several other times where she fought to live. Dr. Temperance Brennan was a fighter. She wasn't the type to give up easily. Booth looked up again at Angela. "You're right."

A cry woke Seeley Booth up. He sat upright and rubbed his eyes. Stumbling over to the little crib in the bedroom, he picked up his little boy. Sammy cried uncontrollably. With Sammy in one hand, Booth stumbled into the kitchen. It was three in the morning. It was already the fourth time that little Sammy had woken up that night.

Booth opened up the refrigerator and reached for a jug of water. With his eyes half open, he poured the water inexpertly into a little bottle. Temperance had intended to breastfeed little Sammy, so all of the little bottles had MSU written on them in black permanent marker. The hospital had let him borrow them. Booth splashed water all over the counter as he poured with his free hand. Seeley then opened the cupboard above his head and pulled out a little can of formula. He opened it up and scooped out some powder, then poured it into the little bottle. Sammy screamed and writhed. He was hungry and he wanted food NOW. Booth shook the bottle and just left the mess of powder and water on the counter. It was three A.M. It was way too early to care about that.

Sammy cried and screamed. His little face, so precious and angelic, was red and angry. By the time Booth was able to get the nipple to Sammy's mouth, he was so upset that he couldn't drink from the bottle.

"Come on..." Booth begged. "For daddy? Please?"

Booth put down the bottle and laid Sammy on the couch, then checked his diaper. It was dry. What could be the matter?

His diaper was dry. He didn't want the bottle. He had been burped. His back was patted. His clothing was warm enough, but not too warm. It was cool enough, but not too cool.

Booth stood up. He wanted to scream. Little Sammy was on the couch writhing. Booth walked away. He didn't want to get angry... he didn't want to hurt his son because he was angry. Walking into the dining room, Booth put both hands on the back of a chair and leaned on it. His head pounded.

"I can't do this any more, God," he prayed. "I just can't do this alone. I need my wife. I need Temperance."

Booth's face grew red with anger. He picked up the chair and threw it against a wall. It left a huge dent in the wall and a picture fell to the ground and shattered.

The phone rang.

Booth walked into the living room, his head still pounding with frustration and anger. "Booth."

"Hello, Mr. Booth? This is Dr. Costa from MSU calling about your wife."

"Yeah?" with hope in his voice. "Is she ok?"

"Yes, sir. I think you should come down to the hospital right now."

Booth hung up the phone before the doctor could finish his sentence. He put little Sammy into the car seat, threw on a tee shirt and shoes, then ran out to the car that was parked in the driveway.

Booth rounded the hallway and turned down the final corridor. His heart beat excitedly as he walked. The car seat in his right hand rubbed against his leg as he walked quickly to the door.

Dr. Costa, a short man with tan skin and a bald head, opened the door before Seeley could open it himself.

"Mr. Booth?" the man asked.

"Agent... Agent Booth."

"Agent Booth, are you here for your wife? Your wife is doing fine." he smiled. "There's something I need to tell--."

Booth was already pushing past the doctor and into the hospital room. Inside the hospital bed was empty. The bed was made neatly and all of the flowers and balloons that once filled the room were gone.

Booth stood in silence. In horror. Complete horror and shock.

"Where's my wife?" Booth turned to the doctor who had come behind him. He grabbed the collar of his lab coat and shook him. "Where's my wife? Where's Temperance?"

"Agent Booth," The doctor placed his hand on the agent's shoulder. "Calm down. We moved your wife from intensive care. She's down the hall."

Booth's face beamed. "What room? WHAT ROOM?"

"Four-Twelve."

Booth picked up the car seat and ran to the door. While he ran through the hallway, careful to carry the car seat evenly, he remembered the last time he ran like this. His heart in his throat. His heart pounding. Fear and joy all at once. The time he fell on his knees and sifted through sand to pull his partner out. "She was alive then, she is alive now!" Booth thought.

Booth slowed to read the numbers on the doors. He finally came to room 412. He opened it slowly. In the last sixty five seconds, Booth thought of the ways this could play out. He would walk in. His wife would be sitting up in bed, eating Jello. He would walk in. His wife would be hooked up to machines. He would walk in. His wife would be surrounded in a mountain of paper work, trying to catch up. Booth smiled at this last thought. It would be just like her. He would walk in. She would be crying, thinking her baby was dead. He would walk in. She would be standing on the other side with her arms wide open, ready to embrace him as he came in.

Booth reached for the handle. He was excited. He was scared. He was nervous. Little Sammy squirmed in his car seat and made sweet baby sounds.

The door opened and on the other side he saw his wife.

Her eyes were closed as she rested on the bed. Her cheeks were regaining their rosy pinkness he was used to. Her lips were finally coming back to life. It seemed that in the past three days, when he looked onto his wife's face there was nothing behind it. He knew then that... that there was a God. When he looked onto his wife's face. No wires, no oxygen. Not because she was alive. That's not why. It was because for the first time in three days, when he looked onto her face, there was a soul behind it. A beautiful soul that he loved so much.

Booth crossed the room, then carefully put the car seat down. He walked nervously up to the bed and reached out to hold Temperance's hand. "Baby?"

Temperance's eyes opened. It seemed as if her eyes saw through him. Was she in her right mind? Was she even there behind those sky blue eyes?

Booth squeezed her hand. "Honey?"

Brennan just lay still and silent. Her breathing was labored. "Booth? Where am I?"

"You're in a hospital, sweetie."

"Sweetie? Why are you calling me that, Booth?"

Booth's blood ran cold with fear. Did she remember what they had? Did she remember their life together? Did she remember the last two years?

"H--honey..."

"Bones." Brennan looked confused. "Call me Bones."

"Why am I here? I need to get up." She tried to sit up confusedly, but wires and monitors kept her tied to the bed.

"Lay down, honey..."

"Why do you keep calling me that, Booth?" Bones looked scared. She knew that something wasn't right. "Why do you keep...? I need to go. They need me at the Jeffersonian."

"They don't need you right now." Booth tried to keep from calling Temperance "Bones"... calling her Tempe seemed so much sweeter.

"Yes. They do." Her eyes narrowed. She was worried and annoyed.

Booth shook his head. "Just rest."

"How can I rest when Gormogon--"

"Gormogon?" It had been years since anyone had mentioned that word, that filthy name. That man had ruined everything, stolen one of their dearest and most beloved friends.

"He's out there, Booth. I need to get back to the lab."

Booth just stared. It felt like his heart was torn from his chest. He felt like he lost someone. He lost Temperance. He lost her again. All over again.

Dr. Costas came into the room. He saw Booth's expression, so he pulled him aside, out of Temperance's ear shot. "She thinks it's 2008. She has no idea what year it is. In her world, Bush is still president and there's this Gormogon guy who's out to get people." The doctor's face was very solemn. "We think a part of her brain was damaged from oxygen depletion. It should be temporary."

"SHOULD be?"

"It's uncertain when she will regain her memory, but what we are certain of is that she will regain it with time."

The little boy in the black checkered car seat began to cry.

Booth ran over to the little car seat, unhooked his seat belt and pulled him out. He held him close and tried to calm him. He met Temperance's eyes and realized this was the first time his wife had seen their son. Temperance smiled curiously, "Who's that?"

Booth smiled and brought the baby near. "This little guy is our... His name is Sammy."

"That's a cute name. What's his middle name?"

"Maxwell."

"Like my father?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't Samuel your father's name?"

Booth was hoping this would bring back memories for his wife, but her face showed no revelation.

"He's cute, Booth. Who's baby is he?"

Booth thought about hiding the truth until her mind healed, but changed his mind. "He's... uh... He's ours, Bones."

Brennan shook her head. "What? Is this some sick joke?"

"No." Booth knelt and placed the little boy into Temperance's arms. She held him awkwardly at first, then tears ran down her face. She saw his facial features, his blue eyes. "It... it can't be."

"We're..." Her face searched his.

"Married."

"What?" Bones paused. She wiped the tears off from her nose, then sniffed. "What year is it?"

"2011."

Temperance didn't look up at all. She kept watching the little boy in her arms. He slept sweetly and sucked on a pacifier. She smiled, "He's really cute. What does Parker think?"

Booth smiled. It seemed like his face had been in a permanent frown for the past several days. It felt good to finally smile. "He's happy to be a big brother. He keeps telling you how he's going to take Sam fishing and teach him how to play baseball."

Bones smiled and laughed lightly, imagining what Parker's face would have looked like while he told her these things. "I bet he's a great big brother."

"He hasn't seen him yet."

"Why not?" Bones seemed to realize what she was asking. She saw that she was in the hospital room. "Oh." Was all she said. "You should bring Parker here. I think he would like to see his little brother." Temperance smiled. It was hard to smile. It was hard to talk so casually about her family like this. Twenty minutes ago she thought she was in the hospital... possibly as a result of another explosion devised by Gormogon. Now it's three years later and she has a husband, a step son, and a newborn little boy.

Booth smiled. He knew this must be difficult for his wife. "I'll bring him by soon."

"I want to try to nurse him." Temperance said to Seeley. He was fixing a bottle of formula for their son.

"Are... are you sure?" He asked.

"Studies show that breastfed children have higher I.Q.s compared to their formula fed counterparts."

Booth laughed. That was more like his Temperance. Brennan's chest was swollen and painful from engorgement. She was still very sore from childbirth. It's strange, she thought, waking up... like out of a dream. In complete pain, not knowing why. Booth leaned close to his wife. At first Temperance felt very shy about 'whipping it out' in front of her partner, but then realizing she most likely had done that several times before, she put the little infant to her breast. He suckled and calmed down very quickly.

Booth smiled as he watched his wife. He was overwhelmed with how womanly she was... how feminine. There once was a time where Temperance felt uncomfortable with changing diapers or carrying a diaper bag. Now she nursed a little one at her breast. A smile came to his face. Brennan looked up and caught that smile.

"What?" She asked, a smile on her lips... a motherly, womanly smile.

"Nothing." It was too hard to put into words what he felt. His heart skipped a beat. It was an amazing feeling. Forty eight hours before, he thought he would be a single father. Forty eight hours later he watched his wife and son. "I've never seen him so content." Booth reached out and brushed Sammy's hair with his finger tips. Looking up, his face close to his wife's... he felt like kissing her. He felt like celebrating this wonderful moment. He didn't have to ask. Temperance kissed him.

Booth breathed in his wife's scent... he thought he would never kiss her that way again. Temperance slowly pulled her face from his.

"What was that for?" He asked quietly.

"It was just like I imagined." She replied. "Just like I've always imagined." For all she knew, the last time she kissed Booth was under the mistletoe that one Christmas. They quickly blamed it on the mistletoe and on Caroline Julian. They didn't speak about that kiss until they were dating a couple of years later. There was no backtracking, no blame. "I remember what it's like." She spoke softly so as to not disturb their son, who had fallen asleep in her arms.

"Remember what what's like?" Booth asked. He felt overjoyed. He felt like he had his wife back... almost.

"What it's like to love you."

"You loved me?"

"I've loved you all along."

"I've loved you all along, too."

A soft knock at the door stole their attention. They turned their faces to Angela. She came in the door with a little teddy bear and balloons in her arms.

"Angela!" Brennan was surprised to see her friend. 'What has happened in the past few years? Is Ange married? Does she have kids?' she asked herself.

"Hi. Sweetie! How are you feeling?"

"Uh. It seems that I have acute Retrograde amnesia due to my brain being without oxygen." Angela seemed standoffish and afraid. Brennan patted the side of her bed. Angela walked up and sat beside her friend. Temperance noted Angie's new hairdo. She no longer had bangs and wore her hair longer and straighter, but her face was the same... sweet and loving. "Don't be afraid. It's me, Ange."

Angela sat down in a chair beside the bed. She smiled on the family picture in front of her. "Sammy is a sweet boy. He's darling, Bren."

"He seems to remember my scent," Temperance noted. "He remembers me. He remembers that I'm his mother." Temperance swept a tear from her cheek. "I just wish I could remember that he's my son."

Booth leaned close and kissed his wife's forehead. "It'll come to you, sweetie."

"It's just hormonal fluctuations due to childbirth," Brennan explained. It was much more than that, though. She couldn't remember the life that she and Booth had together. She remembered how she felt about her partner. She had always loved him. She always wanted them to have a life together. She got her wish. But if only she could remember it all. Temperance wiped another tear away. What was it like to be pregnant? To feel a child moving in her womb? To expect her life to change, for her priorities to change, for her expectations to change? It felt as if she missed it all. What changed her mind to become a mother in the first place? To get married? She did not believe in marriage... it was an antiquated ritual. She must love her husband very much... with a love that she couldn't imagine or explain.

The next day, Temperance was released from the hospital. Booth, Temperance, and little Sammy, a sleeping blue bundle, left for home.

It was as if she was in a dream. The car they drove home in was an unfamiliar family car. Sitting in the passenger seat, Temperance was glad to have Booth beside her. He was always there for her and still is. She was glad for that. She was thankful.

She sat quietly, studying her surroundings. The car was a newer model with no emissions. It was some sort of future car, she mused. The sun was low in the sky, so Temperance folded down the visor to shade her face. A little piece of paper that was tucked in fell into her lap. Tempe looked at Booth. He was driving quietly, every so often he would look over, see his wife, and thank God for her once again.

Carefully lifting the little paper from her lap, she held it up so she could see. It wasn't a piece of paper. It was a photograph. Temperance smiled. It was a picture of she and Booth. It seemed like somebody else's life!

What she saw was herself and Booth. They were standing outside. Tall green trees were in the background. She was dressed in white, he was dressed casually. He was standing behind her. His hand was resting on her pregnant belly. Parker was standing in front of her. She had her hands on his shoulders. They were all smiling.

Booth looked over and saw Temperance's gaze. He saw that she was upset.

"It'll come to you..."

Temperance wiped a tear from her eye. "It's not that."

"What is it?"

"I have a family."

"Tempe." She looked up. "You've always had a family. With me."

"Where is this taken?"

"A wedding." Booth smiled.

"Whose wedding?"

"Angela and Hodgins."

Temperance laughed. "What? They only recently got married?"

"Just like them, right?" Booth laughed. "Angela's husband finally keeled over."

Temperance looked up seriously. How could he talk so lightly about somebody dying?

"I'm kidding, Tempe!"

Temperance smiled, "That's not funny."

"Is."

"Is not."

Booth smiled. He'd missed their car-time banter.

"When we get home, I want to show you something."

"What is it?"

"You'll see." Booth grinned.

The new family pulled up to a large house outside of D.C. It was sorely unfamiliar to Bones. She felt sad at first and missed her apartment. That would have been comforting to her. To sleep in her own bed.

Booth fumbled with his keys before opening the door.

"Go ahead." he said.

Temperance walked in slowly, cautiously, trying to catch anything familiar that might make her feel comfortable. A few pieces of furniture she recognized from her apartment. Some photos. A rug. Some antiquities she'd collected on her trips around the world. She recognized those and felt calmer.

Booth came in and rested the car seat on the sofa. Little Sammy was still asleep. His dark hair peeked beneath his little striped blue cap. He sucked on his little binky and opened and closed his right hand. Temperance smiled at him. He was certainly very darling.

Brennan remembered the time she and Booth cared for little Andy. She quickly bonded with Andy. He was a sweet little boy with blond hair and big eyes. Now she stood watching her own little son sleeping in his car seat. She sat beside the car seat on the sofa. Reaching out, she held his tiny little hand. She smiled. This darling little boy... He was a little bit of Seeley Booth and a little bit of Temperance Brennan. "He's going to be gorgeous and smart! Lucky kid!" She thought to herself.

Booth had disappeared and left Temperance alone in the room with little Sammy. He reappeared with a DVD in his hand.

Temperance spied the DVD and tried to read it.

"What's that?" she asked. "A movie?"

Booth just smiled. "The best kind."

He walked over to the 40 inch Plasma Screen TV. Temperance couldn't hep but to laugh to herself. She remembered how much Booth wanted a big screen plasma TV.

Booth saw her smile. "Early Father's Day gift from you." Together they laughed.

Booth stood up and walked over to the couch. He moved Sammy onto the floor and sat beside Temperance.

The DVD player started and the menu page came onto the screen.

Temperance read it. "Temperance and Seeley. June 19th, 2010."

"It's our wedding video."

The DVD started.

Temperance watched.

She saw Booth. Handsome. In a white tuxedo. He looked nervous. He turned and said something to Hodgins. They laughed. Booth turned back and looked back down the aisle expectantly.

The music began.

And Temperance remembered. She felt like she was there...

She was no longer an outsider looking in. She was there.

Temperance stood waiting nervously behind closed doors. She was going to see Seeley for the first time as her husband.

Angela came near and adjusted her veil. "Never thought I'd talk you into this." She laughed.

"Neither did Booth." Temperance blushed. All of her closest friends and family were around her. Dressed and ready to see she and Seeley Booth exchange vows.

Angela and Cam looked beautiful in their lavender dresses. Their hair was up. Temperance was kind enough to spare them the hideous dresses that most bridesmaids wore.

A woman wearing a drab suit walked up. She had a nametag that read Wedding Coordinator on it. She quickly lined everyone up. Parker was first, then Russ's daughters, then came Angela and Cam.

Brennan's mouth was dry. "I can do this." She whispered to herself. She hated being the center of attention. It took a lot of talking herself into things to step out of her box... at least when it came to performances. This felt like a performance.

Temperance touched her hot cheeks with her cold hands.

"Are you ok, sweetie?" asked Angela. "It's going to be ok, Bren. You look beautiful!"

Temperance embraced her friend. "Thank you." She whispered.

"For what?"

"For being here for me. For putting up with me. Thank you."

"Anytime, sweetie." Angela smiled and adjusted Tempe's veil, then she kissed her on the cheek.

The walk up the aisle was the longest walk she'd ever been on. Faces stared, lights on cameras flashed... but the one thing that made it worth while was seeing Seeley Booth on the other end of the aisle. He never kept his eyes off his bride.

"I love you!" He mouthed the words.

"I love you, too." She felt her lips reply.

She finally reached the altar where the priest stood.

"You're so beautiful! Wow!" He whispered.

The priest asked if they wrote their own vows. Temperance shook her head, "No."

"Yes." Booth said. "It's a surprise."

The crowd _Oohed _and _Awwed_. Seeley reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. It was old and worn like he had kept it in his pocket for months.

"You are my one and only true love," he began. Tears ran down Temperance's cheeks. "My best friend and companion. My partner..." He paused. Then folding the paper up and putting it back in his pocket, he spoke from his heart. "Temperance, it doesn't matter what's on that piece of paper. It just matters what is in my heart and in yours. Thank you for marrying me. Thank you for being my wife. From the day I met you I knew you were the one for me. When we're apart it feels like... It feels like there's something missing. When we're together, I'm whole."

"Really?" She laughed as tears dripped down her nose and chin.

"Really. We're a family. And that might be a piece of paper to some people," he gestured to the marriage license on a little table. "but to me it says to the world and to any outsider that we're meant to be together. That we're two pieces of a puzzle."

Temperance could only laugh and cry. Her heart ached with love like it was overflowing.

"Do you, Seeley David Booth, take this woman Temperance Joy Brennan to be your wife? To have and to hold, to cherish and honor, until death do you part?"

"I do."

By that time Angela and Cam were crying as hard as Temperance. Parker, who was sitting on the step next to his daddy, reached up and tugged on Temperance's dress. "Don't be sad, Bones."

Temperance looked down and smiled. "I'm happy, Parker. Very happy!"

"And do you, Temperance Joy Brennan take this man, Seeley David Booth, to be your husband? To have and to hold, to cherish and honor, until death do you part?"

"Yes!"

"You may kiss the bride!"

Seeley stepped forward and took Temperance in his arms. He didn't kiss her, he dipped her low, then he kissed her.

Angela and Cam laughed. Hodgins, the man of honor clapped. Parker covered his eyes. The audience laughed and cheered.

"I remember that!" Temperance said. "I remember our wedding!"

In fact, she remembered everything.

In the fraction of a second that all of the wedding memories flashed back to her, so did the day that she finally admitted to herself that she was in love with Seeley Booth.

The grave digger had come back. With a vengeance. SHE didn't want Temperance to escape again.

Buried in a coffin all alone, she felt helpless. She didn't think she would ever see anybody again. This time Hodgins wasn't around. This time she had only 4 hours of oxygen.

When the fourth hour came around crunching and loud noises woke her from her unconscious state. And when the coffin opened, she fell into Booth's arms. In those four hours when she thought that it was absolutely impossible and she would die in an unmarked grave, she had a lot of time to think. She thought about Angela, she thought about Cam, she thought about Zack, she thought about Hodgins, she thought about her brother and father... but most of all, she thought about Seeley Booth.

In the dark, she lay in the coffin and sobbed. If she ever got out of there, she would tell Seeley Booth how she felt.

After Booth pulled her out of the coffin, she just held him and he held her.

"I remember." She told Seeley. "I remember, Seeley." That name on her lips felt so good. It no longer felt foreign or strange. It felt like it belonged on her tongue. Seeley leaned close and together they shared a passionate kiss. What was the best part of the kiss? She remembered what his lips felt like. They were soft and familiar. She remembered his scent. He smelled like his favorite cologne... sweet and spicy. She felt comforted in his arms. She felt like she was at home. She was home!


End file.
